Karmapa suspected to have Chinese links: Himachal police

Feb 4, 2011

Category: Police Raid Jan 2011

SHIMLA: Can a leopard change its spots? This is what seems to be disturbing the Himachal Pradesh police, which in due course of its investigations over the recovery of a large number of foreign currency including Chinese yuan and US dollars from an organization of the 17th Karmapa in the Gyuto Tantric monastery near Sidhbari at Dharamshala, have stumbled upon Chinese connection of not only Ugyen Trinlay Dorje, but also his guru, Tai Situ Rinpoche.

Though DGP Himachal, D S Manhas, told TOI that they had the fullest regards for the religious sentiments of the Tibetan people and even held the 17th Karmapa in high esteem, it had to be ensured that law and order of the country is not infringed and the security of the country not jeopardized. "If law and order is infringed, and the security of the country appears threatened, law has to take its own action", he pointed out.

He said that Tai Situ Rinpoche, who stood third in the Kagyu hierarchy, after the 16th Karmapa and Samar Rinpoche came to India in 1998, after a gap of about four years. "The Govt of India vide its letter of 4 Aug 1998 to the chief secretaries of J & K, Sikkim, Manipur, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal and Mizoram specifically mentioned that his entry be debarred into their states", he claimed.

Asserting that the obvious reason for banning his entry into these states, except perhaps J & K, could be because of his alleged Chinese connection and that he may ferment trouble in these states, as there was a controversy over the 17th Karmapa, he said that he is now said to be the teacher of Ugyen Trinlay Dorje.

"Besides, when the Govt of India refused permission to the 17th Karmapa to move to Rumtek, Ugyen Trinlay Dorje sent another request that he be allowed to move to Tserabling monastery, which is owned by Tai Situ, but even that permission was refused", he maintained.

Manhas said that when the 16th Karmapa died of cancer in Chicago in Nov 1981, Tai Situ was with him, but he had already started the setting up of his monastery, Tserabling near Baijnath in Himachal Pradesh as early as 1976.

"Incidentally, though Tai Situ is Tibetan, he travels all over on a diplomatic passport issued by the government of Bhutan. How he got it, is anybody's guess", he added.

He said that though it was said that the 16th Karmapa had not left behind a "perdiction letter", Tai Situ claimed to have a copy of the letter, on the basis of which he found Ugyen Trinlay Dorje and was instrumental in his anointment as the 17th Karmapa, which was even recognized by Beijing. "This is the only instance when a high profile Tibetan lama has been recognized by Beijing, and taken to Beijing with his family", he said.

The DGP said that according to the People's Daily, a Chinese daily, the 17th Karmapa at the closure of an official function in Beijing even shouted 'long live People's Republic of China', which indicates that perhaps he had been indoctrinated by the government of that country.

He said that another important factor was that a German national, Roslia Findeisen, a close associate of Tai Situ was externed from India on 28th Nov 1993, allegedly for her Chinese links, but when one Chen Luaan, a politician from Taiwan having pro-People's Republic of China leanings came to India, she also managed to come to the country and meet him.

Manhas said that the main concern of the Himachal Pradesh Police is why is the People's Republic of China is interested in setting up Tibetan monasteries across the Himalayan states close to the border and if there are any linkages or leanings of certain people in these monasteries with the country, as the recovery of the large number of yuan suggests.